Wakesetter Oil change issue ??

[commodore]

I also recently drained the oil in the VLX in about 15 minutes or less. It was slow at first, but then I noticed there was a thru-hull bolt that the oil line was kinked around. Moved it away from this and it flowed great!

[40oz]

Just a follow up to this information. After reading this post and many others on this site about oil and oil pressure, i made the switch to Rotella T 15w40. I noticed a little better oil pressure while at idle. Running temp is good as well. Color of oil seems to turn black pretty quick, but i am pretty sure that is normal with this type of oil. (thats how it was in my F250) One thing that i have noticed that i did not notice before is that i will get a puff of black smoke when going from idle to pulling a skier.

[85 Barefoot]

Just a follow up to this information. After reading this post and many others on this site about oil and oil pressure, i made the switch to Rotella T 15w40. I noticed a little better oil pressure while at idle. Running temp is good as well. Color of oil seems to turn black pretty quick, but i am pretty sure that is normal with this type of oil. (thats how it was in my F250) One thing that i have noticed that i did not notice before is that i will get a puff of black smoke when going from idle to pulling a skier.

It's a diesel engine that makes the oil black not the oil. Are you overfilled? Looked at your PCV valve recently? Or EGR depending?

Edited September 4, 2012 by 85 Barefoot

[jcochrane007]

I've been told that the 15w40 has a higher zinc content, and this is what causes the oil to turn dark more quickly.

[40oz]

I am not overfilling, and i have not looked at the PCV valve or EGR (not sure i have one).

[85 Barefoot]

Interesting info on zinc in oil. Either way, diesel oil turns black after running 10 minutes. I'm not saying higher zinc doesn't lead to blacker oil but I've never noticed it become "that" black during a regular interval. If a 10 year old engine, detergents could be doing their job.

Phosphorus (a component of ZDDP - Zinc Dialkyl-Dithio-Phosphate) is the key component for valve train protection in an engine and 1600ppm (parts per million) used to be the standard for phosphorus in engine oil. In 1996 the EPA forced that to be dropped to 800ppm and then more recently (2004?) to 400ppm - a quarter of the original spec. Valvetrains and their components are not especially cheap to replace and this drop in phosphorus content has been a problem for many engines (especially those with flat-tappet type cams). So why was the level dropped? Money. Next to lead, it's the second most destructive substance to shove through a catalytic converter. The US government mandated a 150,000 mile liftime on catalytic converters and the quickest way to do that was to drop phosphorous levels and bugger the valvetrain problem. Literally.

In the US, Mobil 1 originally came out with the 0W40 as a 'European Formula' as it was always above 1000 ppm. This initially got them out of the 1996 800ppm jam and knowledgeable consumers sought it out for obvious reasons. Their 15W50 has also maintained a very high level of phosphorus and all of the extended life Mobil synthetics now have at least 1000ppm. How do they get away with this? They're not classified as energy/fuel conserving oils and thus do not interfere with the precious government CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) ratings. (See my section on the EPA and fuel economy in the Fuel and Engine Bible for more info on this). This also means that they don't get the coveted ratings of other oils but they do protect your valvetrain. The same rule of thumb is true for racing oils like Royal Purple - because they're not classified as energy / fuel conserving, it would seem they still contain good quantities of ZDDP.

In fact, as a general rule-of-thumb, staying away from XX-30 oils and going to 10W-40 or higher might be the way to go if you have an older engine. 10W-40 and above is generally also not considered to be 'gas saving' and like the Mobil example above, doesn't mess with the CAFE rating.

If you live in England, Castrol market a product with ZDDP in the product description - 'Castrol Classic Oil With ZDDP Anti-Wear Additive' although it's not mainstream enough to be available everywhere. You'll have to find a specialist dealer. Castrol Classics. In the US, Rislone manufacture an oil supplement to boost the ZDDP content of your existing oil. Rislone Engine Oil Supplement.

Read more: http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html#ixzz25WwZhiUv